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Nora Aunor Fan Site
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Source: The Urian Anthology 1970-1979
Review: Batu-Bato sa Langit
Behn Cervantes, The Philippines Daily Express, 1975
"Batu-Bato sa Langit" Sure enough this film goes into lengthy
discussions on population control which is clearly the reason for its
being in the festival. What the film really wants to do is to capitalize
on the comic talents of Nora Aunor, Nida Blanca, Nova Villa and
presumably, that of Christopher de Leon and German Moreno, too. The
combined talents of these stars under the direction and script of
Luciano Carlos is a scintillating comedy with many fine moments.
The script is witty but the story itself is pretty thin and is really
made up of a series of television-type comedy skits. The film seems to
end on at least three instances, when the number of what appear like
additional scenes are inserted to meet the required length of a feature
film.
What is questionable about the film is its whole tone. The jokes are
good. Nora Aunor and Nida Blanca are excellent comediennes with Nova
Villa squeezing every moment of her screen time. German Moreno seems to
have rubbed off on Christopher, who mugs and prances about in underwear
and imagines that a clown is ever in motion. The young actor mistakes
comedy for slapstick. He is alternately frenetic or jumpy. Although he
can be a charming performer, he is, at the very most in this film,
trying hard. Beside the ladies he is at a loss and his lack of control
is uncomfortable to view. The film manages to hide, behind the theme of
population control, risque lines and out-and-out bomba. Genitalia of
both sexes are operated on. The different devices for birth control are
exhibited and demonstrated for use. All these would have been fine if
they were made an integral part of the story. Carlos supplies ample
humor, though he doesn't quite blend in the birth control aspect into
the story to justify the demonstrations of birth control devices. Nora
portrays a young woman about to have her baby --- the honeymoon
occurring before the wedding. The main problem in the film is not birth
control, it is love --- will the young couple manage to get married or
not?
What I find questionable in the film is precisely that the love
problem makes the birth control problem superfluous. The latter is
clearly an appendage to meet a requirement. Even while the movie
undertakes the propagation of population control information, it also
takes advantage of the titillating effect of the information for
entertainment and comic ends.
Worst of all, certain traditional morals of the people suffer,
despite the fine comedy and the unabashed information on the different
devices for birth control. The film seems to make a joke of pre-marital
pregnancies, which is not treated as a problem but instead is
nonchalantly accepted. This may sound pretty Victorian at this late
stage of the twentieth century but I wonder what effect this will have
upon the millions of Filipino youth, who will see their superstars
engaging in conversations of pre-marital relationships as though they
are merely considering the birds and the bees. The film absolves the
couple of any fault and doesn't seriously impart the economic
repercussions as seriously as it should. Little importance is given to
adult attitudes about love, sex and marriage. The whole tone is one of
permissiveness and tolerance.
I laughed at the many jokes, and the film makes me surer than ever
that Nora Aunor is a fine actress, that Nida Blanca has improved with
the years, and that Chaning Carlos has an uncanny understanding of what
makes the audience laugh. However, I seriously wonder if this is all the
audience is supposed to expect. Despite the threat in the title of the
film, it proves to be merely frivolous. "Batu-Bato sa Langit...Ang
Tamaan Huwag Magagalit", okay.
Review: Batu-Bato sa Langit
Behn Cervantes, The Philippines Daily Express, 1975
"Batu-Bato sa Langit" Sure enough this film goes into lengthy
discussions on population control which is clearly the reason for its
being in the festival. What the film really wants to do is to capitalize
on the comic talents of Nora Aunor, Nida Blanca, Nova Villa and
presumably, that of Christopher de Leon and German Moreno, too. The
combined talents of these stars under the direction and script of
Luciano Carlos is a scintillating comedy with many fine moments.
The script is witty but the story itself is pretty thin and is really
made up of a series of television-type comedy skits. The film seems to
end on at least three instances, when the number of what appear like
additional scenes are inserted to meet the required length of a feature
film.
What is questionable about the film is its whole tone. The jokes are
good. Nora Aunor and Nida Blanca are excellent comediennes with Nova
Villa squeezing every moment of her screen time. German Moreno seems to
have rubbed off on Christopher, who mugs and prances about in underwear
and imagines that a clown is ever in motion. The young actor mistakes
comedy for slapstick. He is alternately frenetic or jumpy. Although he
can be a charming performer, he is, at the very most in this film,
trying hard. Beside the ladies he is at a loss and his lack of control
is uncomfortable to view. The film manages to hide, behind the theme of
population control, risque lines and out-and-out bomba. Genitalia of
both sexes are operated on. The different devices for birth control are
exhibited and demonstrated for use. All these would have been fine if
they were made an integral part of the story. Carlos supplies ample
humor, though he doesn't quite blend in the birth control aspect into
the story to justify the demonstrations of birth control devices. Nora
portrays a young woman about to have her baby --- the honeymoon
occurring before the wedding. The main problem in the film is not birth
control, it is love --- will the young couple manage to get married or
not?
What I find questionable in the film is precisely that the love
problem makes the birth control problem superfluous. The latter is
clearly an appendage to meet a requirement. Even while the movie
undertakes the propagation of population control information, it also
takes advantage of the titillating effect of the information for
entertainment and comic ends.
Worst of all, certain traditional morals of the people suffer,
despite the fine comedy and the unabashed information on the different
devices for birth control. The film seems to make a joke of pre-marital
pregnancies, which is not treated as a problem but instead is
nonchalantly accepted. This may sound pretty Victorian at this late
stage of the twentieth century but I wonder what effect this will have
upon the millions of Filipino youth, who will see their superstars
engaging in conversations of pre-marital relationships as though they
are merely considering the birds and the bees. The film absolves the
couple of any fault and doesn't seriously impart the economic
repercussions as seriously as it should. Little importance is given to
adult attitudes about love, sex and marriage. The whole tone is one of
permissiveness and tolerance.
I laughed at the many jokes, and the film makes me surer than ever
that Nora Aunor is a fine actress, that Nida Blanca has improved with
the years, and that Chaning Carlos has an uncanny understanding of what
makes the audience laugh. However, I seriously wonder if this is all the
audience is supposed to expect. Despite the threat in the title of the
film, it proves to be merely frivolous. "Batu-Bato sa Langit...Ang
Tamaan Huwag Magagalit", okay.
